Inspiration
reported , attention is only drawn to the number of people who die but no one is keen on following up the people who suffer permanent injuries or remain disabled for the rest of their life , he said .
Just like Esther , the economic burden for persons with disabilities affects not only them but also the people around them .
Esther who is also a single mother , with two children , had to go live with her aunt Sarah in Huruma since she cannot do anything for herself now .
She was the bread winner for her two children but after the accident , she is fully dependent on her aunt who is also struggling to make ends meet . She is still using crutches to walk and has to make several appointments to the doctor .
The hospital bill at AIC Cure Kijabe has hit over Sh2 million , moneys which the two both claim they cannot raise on their own .
According to the World Health Organization ( WHO ) global disability action plan 2014-2021 , PWDs have generally poor health , lower education achievements , fewer economic opportunities and higher rates of poverty . This is largely due to the barriers they face in their everyday lives .
It is not only the economic burden that affects them but also stigma from the society . Attitudes displayed by the people around them can be a bigger problem for PWDs than the medical condition they must cope with . People living and interacting with PWDs tend to treat them differently in relation to their disabilities .
A preliminary report by Kenya National Survey for Persons with
Disabilities : 2008 found that 65 per cent of PWDs regard the environment as the major problem in their daily lives . It is unfortunate that this group faces stigma even in the hospitals where they seek treatment .
Kenya National Survey of Persons with Disabilities says that efforts to reduce road carnage through various campaigns have been successful over the years , and the annual accident rate has reduced by over 50 per cent from the numbers a decade ago .
17,000 number of people injured in accidents every year for the past 10 years
62 November-December 2016